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Thursday, 22 November 2012

The Gods of Rome

This
week we have a look at the Ancient Romans. They were depicted by Father Bernard
de Montfaucon in his books, which can be seen in Worcester Cathedral library.
More specifically, we look at who the Romans worshiped and how they went about
it. Like many cultures before and after them, the Romans worshiped a Pantheon
of gods rather than a single entity. This Roman Pantheon is most closely
related to the previous Greek Pantheon which was adapted and influenced by
their new culture. This caused some gods to change their names, others to gain
or lose their connections to certain areas of influence and still more were
created for areas where no god previously existed (they even created a goddess
for door hinges called Cardea).

This engraving is a representation of ten major gods or goddesses. From B. de Montfaucon Antiquity- explained and represented in sculptures (1721-25). Image is copyright Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral.

The
Romans did not pray as we do today but instead sacrificed various livestock and
burnt the most flavour-filled parts in tribute. They would also offer up the
first cup of wine and the best parts of each meal in the same way. This was
collectively known as supplication. A Roman citizen would make a supplication several
times a day while a soldier would make additional sacrifices before and after
all battles in hope or thanks for protection.

There
were fourteen major gods and goddesses, thirteen of whom presided in the palace
of the gods on mount Olympus while the fourteenth ruled over the dead in the
Underworld. They are as follows; Jupiter the King of the gods and god of the
sky, Juno the Queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage and family, Neptune
the god of the sea and earthquakes, Mars the god of war, Apollo the god of the
sun and culture (meaning everything from medicine to music), Mercury the god of
thieves and roads, Bacchus the god of wine and madness, Minerva the goddess of
weaving and handicrafts, Diana the goddess of maidens, hunting and the moon,
Ceres the goddess of farming and harvest, Vulcan the God of fire and forging,
Vesta the goddess of home and the hearth, Venus the goddess of love and Pluto
the god of the Underworld and wealth. There are also a great many more ‘minor’
gods and goddesses like Somnus the god of sleep and Janus the god of beginnings
and endings, and finally there are the few heroes whom the people came to refer
to as gods like Hercules and Adonis.

This is a montage of many different minor gods and goddesses. B. de Montfaucon,Antiquity- explained and represented in sculptures (1721-25). Image is copyright Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral.

Some
of the gods were worshiped and praised for their relation to success at war or
the Emperor, namely Mars and Jupiter, however some were only worshiped out of
fear for what they would do to you, mostly Pluto and Neptune who controlled the
afterlife and earthquakes respectively. Some of the gods were blamed for the
various inexplicable deaths at the time, such as plagues, sunstroke and other
assorted illnesses, so needless to say the Romans continued to supplicate
themselves to the gods so they would not unleash these horrors upon them. They
might even ask them to be unleashed upon their enemies.

As
might be expected the Romans found other ways to show their faith too, mainly
by immortalizing the gods in the form of pottery, paintings and statues as well
as in their literature, both written and in songs or poems. It is from these things
that we have learnt of Roman culture and their gods even today.